This system of medicine was founded by Dr. Samuel Halmemann in the latter part of the 18th century. It is based on the principle "SIMILIA SIMILIBUS CURENTAR" which literally means like cures like. This means that substances, which produce a certain set of symptoms in a healthy individual cure the same set of symptoms in a diseased individual.

Medicines are made from plants, animals, chemical compounds etc. These drugs are tested on normal healthy individuals in crude doses and the changes they bring about are noted. These are then used to cure the same symptoms in a diseased individual - but in very minute doses.

The medicines used are prepared by the method of potentization. By this, the material quantity of the drug is reduced but the curative quality of the drug is enhanced. Therefore the amount of medicine given is very very small but its curative powers are manifold.

When treating a patient homoeopathically, the person is treated as a whole, not just the disease. Therefore, when managing a person homoeopathically, apart from the totality of the disease, the totality of the person as an individual are of equal importance. Elaborate details are taken into account- his build, appetite, thirst, food likes/dislikes, bowel habits, menstrual history (in case of females), sleep, dreams, are all taken into account. Also of prime importance is the mental make-up of the patient. The nature of the patient, sensitivity, fears, phobias, moods are all taken into account. In fact these details form the base from which the remedy is selected.

Therefore, two people suffering from the same disease but with different mental & physical disposition will require different remedies to cure the same disease.

Homoeopathy therefore treats the individual who is diseased not the disease in the individual.

Last updated on 15-12-2000